Ok, so you’ve probably already put some effort into keyword research if you own a business or are trying to market a product or service. And maybe you think you’ve found the holy grail of keyword treasure that no one else stands a chance to compete against. Going out on a limb here – is it Google Keyword Planner?

The Danger of GKP

Google Keyword Planner has its place, but that place is not where you think it is. Most people go to GKP, type in a couple terms they think make sense, and then pick several of the suggested keywords thinking it’s in the bag. But the proof is in the pudding – or in our case, the conversion rates. Backlinko has a great article that deals with this very problem and basically points out the dangers of relying on Google’s algorithm and servers to tell you what buyers really search for. The human mind is still better at predicting these things than Google is – for now, anyway.

Finding Niches

Source: backlinko.com

If you want to find keywords that actually convert, you first need to break your business down into smaller niche markets, which will allow you to then find more authentic keywords that reach further into the minds of your customers. To find niches for your market, consider these:

Create buyer personas/profiles to get inside the mind of your various demographics.

Visit forums to see the many ways a topic can be further broken down into sub-topics (or sub-markets).

Review the table of contents on the Wikipedia page for your market to see how they subdivide it.